


One Kiss (It all comes down to this)

by LadyOrion



Series: Only You and I [7]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Curses, Getting Back Together, M/M, Post-Descendants 3, True Love's Kiss, including lonnie, the whole gang honsetly, they're figuring it out okay, who should've been in d3 wth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-05 00:15:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20479811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyOrion/pseuds/LadyOrion
Summary: When Harry is accidently put under a sleeping spell while cleaning up the last of Audrey’s curse, Harry and Jay’s agreement to just be friends is made complicated when it’s revealed they’re still in love with each other.xTitle from: come on guys you know what song that is





	1. Parties and Mishaps

**Author's Note:**

> Hey hey here's this have fun with it

The Museum of Cultural History in Auradon looked like it should be a castle, not a museum, Harry thought to himself as he climbed the steps with Carlos and Ben. The tall stone building was just like most things in Auradon: clean, polished, and regal. A far cry from the cramped, dilapidated, and dirty buildings on the Isle. 

Harry was still getting used to being here. Even after only a couple of days, he was experiencing a heavy dose of culture shock. At least when he wanted a taste of the Isle or it’s people, neither were ever too far since the barrier had been broken. 

After the celebrations, Evie had graciously offered up rooms in her “starter” castle to Harry, Gil, and Uma. It was crowded there, with Evie, Jay, and Carlos each having a room, as well as Dizzy and Celia sharing and the twins sharing. That left only two rooms left, so Gil and Harry were sharing while Uma got her own room. Evie had assured them that it would be less crowded in a couple weeks when school started, and Dizzy, Celia, and the twins would be moving into the dorms, but Harry actually liked the busy house. It reminded him of being on the ship. 

Now, he joined Carlos and Ben in picking up Mal, Jane, and Uma from the museum, where they’d spent the past couple of days running damage control with Fairy Godmother. Something about the magical objects contained in the museum absorbing some of the sleeping spell’s power, making them potentially hazardous. 

The moment they walked through the door, they saw Jane, a mask covering her nose and mouth, a pink bubble floating between her hands. She exclaimed excitedly when she saw Carlos.

“Hi!” She immediately moved to hug her boyfriend, but stopped short when she remembered the bubble she seemed to be controlling. “Oh, hold on.” She threw the bubble into a tub of water, where it sparked and fizzled out. “Okay, now we’re good!”

The couple hugged tightly. When Jane pulled away, she glanced over them all.

“I’m super happy to see you all, but you need to wear one of those,” she said, pointing to a box of masks on the security desk. “There’s still a lot of sleeping spell around here.”

“Yeah, how is that?” Carlos asked, pulling on a mask. He tossed one to Harry, who looked at it skeptically. Still, he put it on. 

“Well, a lot of the objects in the museum are magical, so they can absorb magic around them. When the sleeping spell rolled over this place, a lot of the artifacts absorbed some of it. So if anyone touches them, or even gets too close (hence the masks), they could fall into the sleeping curse.” Jane explained. “So mom has us drawing out the sleeping curse with a bubble spell, then disposing of it in Enchanted Lake water.” 

“How’s the progress?” Ben asked. “Is it enough that we can have the party tonight?”   


Harry thought it was a bit excessive to have two engagement parties, but Ben was determined: one for the kingdom, yes, but also one that was just for close friends. For some reason, that included Harry. Okay, yes, he guessed he actually did get along well with Ben, Jane, Audrey, Carlos, Evie, and Mal, as well as Mulan’s daughter and Evie’s boyfriend, and given enough time he probably would consider them friends. Still, it was a little disarming to be trusted so quickly. Just part of Auradon, he supposed. People here weren’t used to backstabbing. 

Jane nodded. “We’re almost done. Mom’s upstairs, and Mal and Uma are in the back wing if you want to go get them. They should be finishing up.”

Ben and Carlos thanked Jane, and Harry nodded with a wink. He wasn’t actually trying to get with Jane; Jane was beautiful, but he’d mostly just flirted with her to see how Jay would react. Besides, it was clear she and Carlos were in love. And that was perhaps the most different thing about Auradon: love was celebrated, for it to be seen and shown openly was normal, and even encouraged. Harry wondered if it had been as much of an adjustment for the original four VK’s to see so much love as it was to him. 

“It’s so strange,” Carlos remarked to Harry as they headed to the back wing of the museum. “If you’d have told me when we were kids, or even two weeks ago, that Mal and Uma would be working together and  _ being friends _ , I would have never believed it.”

“Aye,” Harry agreed. “I never would have believed anythin’ that’s happened recently.”

Carlos nodded, before biting his cheek. “Hey Harry? Can I ask you; how are you and—”

“Uma!” Harry called when he spotted his captain, not wanting Carlos to finish his question. He didn’t want to talk about Jay.

After all the chaos with Audrey had been resolved and the barrier destroyed, Jay had pulled Harry aside to talk. They’d finally buried the hatchet about the way their unofficial relationship had ended, and agreed to be friends. 

Just friends. They were just friends, and that was that. Nothing else to say about it.   


Uma stood in front of a long case of amulets and stones. The glass casing had been removed, and her hands were hovering over a purple gemstone. Her shell necklace glowed against her chest, and pink smoke was being leached out of the purple gem by the bubble floating between Uma’s gloved fingers. She looked over at him when he called her name.

“Hey Harry,” she said distractedly as he walked over. The smoke filtering into the bubble slowed, then stopped all together. Uma tossed the bubble into the tub of water a few feet away. It popped and fizzled just like Jane’s had. 

“How’s it going with all this?” Harry asked, looking over all the shiny jewels and pendants on the cushioned table. 

“I’ve just got a few more,” she said, brushing her hands together before moving onto a green pendant shaped like a star. “ _ Bubble, bubble, contain the trouble _ ,” she chanted quietly, and another bubble appeared between her hands. She touched it to the star and the bubble began to fill with smoke.

“Just look at all this,” Harry drawled, partially to Uma and partially to himself. He leaned over the table with an appraising eye. “All these riches, right at our fingertips. Suppose they’d notice if one was missin’?” 

“Yes, so don’t even think about it.”

“Shame,” Harry sighed, admiring a gold chain with a eye-shaped charm made of gold and a blue jewel. It must be worth a fortune. He reached out a hand to brush his fingertips over the eye. 

Uma’s eyes widened in panic. “Wait, Harry, don’t touch that!”

It was too late. Right as the words were leaving her lips, he felt the cool surface of the gem against his fingertips. He jerked his hand away, stumbling backwards, but he could already feel himself growing tired.

“What happened?” he heard Mal’s voice. Though she was only across the room, talking to Ben and Carlos and drawing the sleeping spell out of a golden harp, her voice sounded like a whisper to his ears.

“Harry touched something!” Uma’s voice barely sounded any louder, though she was kneeling right next to him. Wait, when did he sit down? 

Harry yawned. Sitting up was so tiring. Maybe he should just lay down. He thought he heard Uma yelling his name as he rested his head on his arm, eyes sliding shut. He wanted to answer her, tell her not to worry, but he had already surrendered to sleep. 

=====

Jay stood by the buffet table, watching idly as Evie flitted about the large room in Mal and Ben’s palace, making sure every last decoration was exactly where she wanted it. In the middle of the room was a table set for twelve, complete with centerpieces of blue and purple flowers. On the other side of the room, several comfy couches were situated in front of a large fireplace and TV. Currently, she was standing at the base of the ladder, giving instructions to Doug and Lonnie on the placement of the large “Congratulations!” banner they were hanging above the windows overlooking the ocean, the Isle visible in the distance. 

“Just a bit further up, Lonnie. Yes!” Evie clapped her hands together, beaming. “That’s perfect. Now Doug, just a little to the left. Oh, not that much. Right there!”

“Everything looks awesome, Eves,” Jay said, reaching for the platter of double chocolate chip cookies. “You’re stressing over nothing.”

“Well I’m sorry that I want everything to be perfect for our best friend’s engagement dinner slash movie night,” Evie shot back, adjusting the vase of flowers on the table for the 6th time. “And don’t you touch those cookies until the party starts.”

“Seriously though,” Audrey said from where she was throwing blankets and pillows on the couches. Gil was knelt right behind her, piling firewood in the hearth. “You’ve done an incredible job setting all this up. But...are you sure I should be here?” 

Evie, Jay, Gil, Doug, and Lonnie all turned to look at her. She flushed, looking down and stroking the fuzzy blanket in her hand. Evie grabbed her hand and looked at her very seriously.

“Yes, Audrey,” she said firmly, but kindly. “We all want you here. We’re all friends now, and we’ve all forgiven each other for any nastiness we might have caused each other in the past. Right guys?”

There was a collective nodding throughout the room, and Audrey smiled, her eyes shiny. Evie smiled and gave the princess a hug.

“Now, no more fretting,” Evie said, tuning with a flourish to wave Jay away from the table of food. “And I said not to eat anything, Jay! Mal and the others will be here any minute; you can wait.” 

“Speaking of the others,” Doug said, he and Lonnie folding ladders and stowing them away in the closet. “They’re actually running late.”

Evie checked her watch, frowning. “You’re right. Oh, I hope  nothing—”

Before she could finish her sentence, the doors to the room burst open. Everyone turned to greet the happy couple and the rest of their friends. But Jay’s congratulatory whistle died on his lips when he saw the frantic state they were in. Jane and Carlos were heading up the group, holding open the doors as Ben and Uma stepped through. Each of them had one of Harry’s arms slung over their shoulders. The pirate himself was unconscious, supported completely by his friends.

“Harry’s been spelled!” Mal exclaimed, rushing in from behind Ben and Uma. 

Evie gasped. “Here, put him on the couch. Audrey, Gil, clear some space!”

Gil and Audrey immediately began moving pillows and blankets off one of the couches, stepping back as Ben and Uma carefully laid Harry down. Uma knelt down beside her unconscious first mate, Gil crouching at her side. Jay, as well as the others, hastened to where Harry was lying, but careful not to crowd the pirates too much.

“What happened?” Gil asked with wide eyes, reaching for Uma’s shoulder as he looked his unconscious friend up and down. “Who did this?”

“He did it himself, the idiot,” Uma said, her face twisted in concern and fear. She gripped one of Harry’s hands in hers, nearly shaking. “We were cleaning the museum of the sleeping spell, and Harry touched one of the amulets I hadn’t done yet! He was asleep in seconds.”

Jay’s heart stopped, looking at Harry’s sleeping face. “How do we wake him up?”

“We aren’t sure,” Mal supplied, Ben putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Only the caster can remove a sleeping curse.”

“But it’s my spell, right?” Audrey said, her face pale. “Shouldn’t I be able to undo it?”

“It  _ was _ your spell,” Jane said softly, eyes fixed on Harry. “But when Mal defeated you, all of your spell was broken. The only parts that were left were what was soaked up by the stuff in the museum. After that, it becomes, for lack of a better way to phrase it, the object’s spell. The spell changed to fit that object, and so only that object can undo it. In this case, the Eye of Odin.”

“So...he just needs to touch what he touched again, right? That eye thing?” Lonnie asked. Mal shook her head.

“We already tried that,” she said. “And both Uma, Jane, and I each tried to undo it using the Eye. Nothing worked; we’ll have to find another way.”

“What other ways are there?” Uma snapped. “Fairy Godmother already tried with her wand, but it’s useless. It must be something to do with the Eye of Odin.”

“What about true love’s kiss,” Doug said. Everyone turned to look at him. “What? Evie did it for me. You know, ‘works every time’?”

“It would work,” Uma snapped. “If he had a true love.”

“Wait,” Lonnie said, looking confused. “You and Harry aren’t dating?”

Uma blinked, temporarily jared from her worry over Harry. “What? No.”

“Really?” Both Ben and Jane said. 

“Sorry, I thought you were too,” Doug added. 

Uma frowned, her shoulders hunching slightly. “No, I...I’m not really...interested...in romance. I’m not really...wired that way, I guess,” she said quietly, avoiding anyone’s eye. 

“You mean like, aromantic?” Jane asked. Uma stared at her, clearly confused. “You know, someone who doesn’t experience romantic attraction.”

“There’s a word for it?” Uma’s voice was slightly awed, her eyes wide. All the Auradon kids nodded. 

Jay was only half listening, his eyes still fixed on Harry’s face. His heart beat wildly. Doug’s suggestion...a true love’s kiss. But that would never work. Okay, yes, if Jay was perfectly honest with himself, he still had feelings for Harry. Watching him flirt with Jane and dance with Audrey had hit him like a slap in the face. But Harry had moved on, and Jay would have to accept that. 

However, Jay still got the feeling that Harry was watching him. He’d feel the pirate’s eyes on him, but the moment he looked, Harry would look away. Maybe there was a chance Harry still had feelings for him too. It was a small chance, yes. But a chance nonetheless. And if it could work…

“Uma, could I talk to you?” Jay heard the words coming from his mouth without really thinking about it. “Alone?”

Uma frowned at him. She looked like she was about to refuse, when the same spark of an idea crossed her face. “Everyone but Jay, out.” When no one moved, staring in confusion, she barked: “You heard me. Out!”

Clearly sensing Uma was not one to cross right now, their friends shuffled reluctantly to the door. Gil lingered, and Uma glared. He sighed, but followed the others out. The door clicked shut behind them, leaving only Jay, Uma, and Harry’s sleeping form in the room.

“I’m guessing you know what I’m about to suggest,” Jay said, rubbing his neck awkwardly. Uma nodded.

“I do,” she agreed, letting go of Harry’s hand and standing. “And I can’t say I’m super optimistic about it working. But...it’s worth a shot.”

She moved to the foot of the couch, standing by Harry’s feet and motioning impatiently for Jay to take her place. Jay swallowed, his heart pounding and his fingers twitching with nervous energy. He knelt next to Harry, looking over his sleeping face. The times Jay saw Harry asleep were few, but he’d always loved to see it; his always-prepared-to-fight body relaxed, his face serene, his eyelids fluttering as he dreamed. Now, however, Harry’s face was completely still, a death-like mask that made Jay shudder.

When Jay brushed his fingers over the back of Harry’s hand, he flinched to find the pirate’s usually warm skin was icy cold. The ex-thief wrapped his fingers around Harry’s wrist, running a thumb over the veins beneath Harry’s pale skin. The heartbeat beneath his fingers was slow, but there. Jay exhaled deeply, relieved. Feeling the steady rhythm of Harry’s heart gave him enough courage to lean over him, brushing the dark locks of hair from his sleeping face.

“I don’t know whether I should apologize if this works, or if it doesn’t,” Jay said quietly. He wasn’t sure if he was talking to Uma or Harry. He took a fortifying breath. Eyes sliding shut, Jay leaned down the last few inches to brush their lips together in a chaste kiss. 

Pulling away, Jay studied Harry’s face for any sign of waking. Harry didn’t move, and his heart sank. Sitting back on his heels, Jay rubbed a hand over his face. Uma groaned, turning around to sit on the arm of the couch.

“Why do ya both look like someone died?” a scratchy scottish voice asked a moment later, and Jay’s head shot up. Uma whirled around, and both her and Jay’s faces broke into smiles, seeing Harry push himself up on his elbows and blink tiredly at them. 

“What do you remember?” Uma asked as Jay helped Harry sit up, tossing a blanket around his shoulders. 

“I remember goin’ to the museum,” Harry said, wrapping the blanket tighter around himself, shivering slightly. The whole ‘death-like sleep’ thing must make a person pretty chilly. “And I...I touched somethin’, didn’t I?” 

Uma nodded. “Yep, you got yourself cursed, alright. Dumbass,” she said, but there was great affection in her voice when she sat down beside Harry and hugged him. “You scared the shit out of me,” Jay heard her whisper.

“Sorry, Captain,” Harry said, hand resting gently on the back of her head. “Ya know pirates. Can’t resist treasure.” 

Uma made an exasperated sound and pulled back, shaking her head. “Let this be a lesson to you, then.”

Harry glanced around, taking in all the decorations. He looked between Uma and Jay for answers. “Where are we? How’d you wake me up?” 

“Mal and Ben’s party,” Uma said. “Everyone else is outside in the hall.” She trailed off, looking to Jay and raising an eyebrow.  _ You wanna tell him? _

“I woke you up,” Jay said, rubbing his neck. Harry tilted his head, frowning. 

“You? How…” Harry trailed off as the realization struck him. He dropped his gaze, his cheeks flushing slightly. “Oh.”

Uma patted Harry’s shoulder sympathetically. “You’re both idiots, but you’ll have to work this out another time. We have a party to enjoy.” She stood, hands on her hips. “Now, I’m going to go tell the others that you’re awake, and not to question you on pain of death, but I’m warning you now it’s going to be pretty obvious what happened.”

Harry and Jay both nodded, avoiding eye contact with each other.

Jay’s head was spinning. True love’s kiss. He’d known, always known deep down that he still loved Harry. Even when they were technically enemies, fighting against each other, Jay longed for him. He thought he probably always would. There was something about the two of them that had always just fit. They were both loyal, both protectors, both competitive and adventurous and social. But they were also different enough to balance each other out: Harry was unpredictable where Jay was steady, honest where Jay was reticent, animated where Jay was stoic. They just  _ worked _ together.

Of course, that’s not to say they were ever perfect. Harry and he were both prideful, and both had quick tempers. Their arguments were explosive, neither wanting to back down. However, they’d always made up fairly quickly, and moreover Jay liked to think he’d matured since then, becoming more willing to accept when he was in the wrong. 

And also, neither one of them had ever been very good at communicating. Open emotional vulnerability was never something that was exactly encouraged on the Isle. But maybe here, in Auradon...

The doors opened, and their friends trailed back into the room, all carefully avoiding looking at Jay as they fussed over Harry, who looked a bit unnerved, but not necessarily displeased, by the attention. 

“Alright, everyone,” Uma said, gathering everyone’s attention. “Now that everyone is conscious and well, let’s party!”


	2. Later That Night

Harry turned over in his bed for the...hell, he didn’t even know how many times it had been. He’d lost count. Across the room, Gil was sleeping soundly, blankets halfway on the floor and one arm curled around a fluffy stuffed dog. 

After eating too much food and watching a few movies, everyone returned to their homes to sleep. It was already well into the night when they returned, and Harry had yet to fall asleep.

He pulled the blankets tighter around himself. He’d grabbed a couple extras from the hallway closet, but no matter how many he added to the growing pile above him, Harry couldn’t seem to chase away the freezing chill he felt in his bones. He’d been feeling it since he woke from the sleeping spell; it was bleak and icy, cutting right to his core, making him shiver.

His eyelids were heavy, and his head felt a bit odd. A bit spacey. But he couldn’t sleep. No matter how many blankets he got, he was cold. No matter how many times he tossed and turned, he couldn’t sleep. It was maddening, it was frustrating, it was...scary.

Again, a voice in the back of his mind offered a possible solution, the only one he thought might work. Harry pushed it away, unable to bear the blow to his pride if he was assuming too much.

Instead, he pulled the blankets up farther, almost covering his face entirely. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, trying to clear his mind. Trying to think of anything but the cold tendrils wrapping around his spine, around his lungs, and then his heart was beating faster and his breathing turned ragged and anxiety made it so hard to hold still and--

His eyes flew open, heart still stuttering in his chest. Harry rubbed his eyes forcefully. Gods, he was so pathetic. After all he’d endured, after all he survived, a sleeping curse managed to unravel him. He breathed slowly, calming his heartbeat as best he could. Still, that chill lingered.

Momentarily, he considered closing his eyes and trying once again to sleep. His heart sped up, anxiety trickling back in. Harry groaned quietly.

There really was only one thing left to do. Only one solution he hadn’t tried.

Harry pushed off the blankets and crept quietly to the door, opening and shutting it without a sound. He moved down the hallway, counting doors. The one across from his, Uma. Next, Celia and Dizzy, and three, the twins. The fourth was Carlos. He came to a stop in front of the fifth and final door. 

He had a moment of hesitation where he almost turned around and went back to the room he shared with Gil, or down to the sitting room to give up on sleep entirely. However, he pushed past the apprehension and twisted the knob, pushing the door open slowly.

Jay was awake. The former thief was sprawled on his bed, dressed in pajama pants with no shirt, reading a comic by the light of the lamp on his nightstand. He looked up when Harry entered the room, tossing the comic aside and pushing himself up on his elbows. 

“Hey,” he said, and Harry felt a piece of the ice in his bones melt away at Jay’s warm voice. “What’re you doing awake?”

Harry just shrugged, not knowing how to explain it. He moved to lean against the bedpost. “Why are ya?”

“I dunno,” Jay said, lifting a shoulder. “Couldn’t really sleep.”

“Me too,” Harry admitted, his eyes falling to the bedspread. “I’m really tired, but I can’t sleep.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised. You took a pretty good nap earlier,” Jay joked, albeit weakly. His voice seemed a little strained when he mentioned the spell Harry had fallen under. Harry sighed, deciding to just bite the bullet and admit what was keeping him awake.

“I feel like if I fall asleep I won’t wake up again,” he blurted out, unable to meet Jay’s eyes. He crossed his arms tightly, squeezing himself. “That spell...it messed with my head. I’m so fuckin’ tired but I’m...I’m…”

He couldn’t make himself admit he was afraid. He couldn’t explain the coldness that had lingered in his bones since he woke, shaking him to the core. It must be what death felt like. If he fell asleep again, maybe the cold would envelop him, and never let him go. 

A warm hand came to rest on his arm. 

“Harry, look at me.” Jay’s voice was soft, and Harry met his gaze, somewhat reluctantly. He was looking at Harry with a mixture of worry and sympathy. “The spell’s gone, I promise. And even if it wasn’t, I’d wake you up. I’d always wake you up. I...” Jay paused, taking a fortifying breath. “I still love you.” 

Harry breathed out, shakily. “I still love ya too.” 

Jay smiled, and despite himself Harry did as well, feeling a sliver of warmth blossom in his chest. Jay shifted to the side, pulling the blankets down. Harry slid into the bed next to Jay, leaning into him while he flicked off the lights and pulled the blankets over them. Harry relaxed somewhat, the heat of Jay’s body against his chasing away the freezing cold in his bones. 

“What are we goin’ to do now?” Harry murmured a few silent moments later. “About us.”

“We’ll figure it out in the morning,” Jay whispered back, reaching a hand up to run his fingers through the pirate’s hair. It felt so wonderfully, achingly familiar, even after almost a year. Harry’s eyes fluttered shut, the last of the ice in his body melting away. Finally, _ finally _, he felt warm. “For now, just sleep.” 

Anxiety flared in his chest, and Harry tensed slightly. Jay must have noticed, because he took one of Harry’s hands in his free one, lacing their fingers together.

“It’s okay, Harry. You’re okay,” Jay reassured, and Harry felt the warmth of Jay’s lips brushing across his forehead. “The spell is gone. You’ll wake up. And I promise, I’ll be here when you do.”

=====

Sunlight was streaming in from the windows when Jay’s eyes cracked open in the morning, casting the room in a warm glow. There was a warm weight next to him beneath the blankets, and Jay smiled sleepily when he remembered.

Harry was leaning into Jay’s side, their legs overlapping and Harry’s messy brown hair spread out on the pillow beside Jay’s. Harry’s arm was slung over Jay’s chest, their fingers laced together.

Harry was still sleeping, and for a split second Jay remembered the sleeping spell, feeling a strike of fear. However, it was quickly put out by Harry’s peaceful expression, the fluttering of his eyelids as he dreamt. Under the spell, Harry had been cold and stiff, but now he was relaxed, and even more gorgeous than Jay remembered.

Jay leaned forward to brush his lips against Harry’s forehead, threading the fingers of his free hand through his hair. The pirate hummed as Jay rubbed his scalp; his pale blue eyes slowly blinked open. Jay’s heart swelled at the sleepy smile that graced Harry’s lips as he murmured a muffled ‘morning’.

“Morning,” Jay answered quietly, not wanting to break the comfortable, sleepy haze they were in. “Told you you’d wake up.”

Harry hummed, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Jay’s shoulder. Jay slid his hand further down Harry’s head, massaging the base of his scalp. He chuckled quietly as Harry practically purred, melting even more into the mattress.

“Still love this, huh?” Jay asked, occasionally tugging lightly at the strands of hair.

“Mhm. ‘S th’ bes’,” Harry slurred, squeezing their still-joined hand, tracing the arches of Jay’s knuckles with the pad of his thumb. “Gon’ put m’ back t’ sle’p.”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“_ No _.”

Jay laughed, and they lay like that for a few quiet moments, basking in each other’s company. A couple minutes later, Harry pushed himself onto one elbow, looking down at Jay with such an open, affectionate expression Jay’s heart skipped a beat. His hand slowed in its ministrations, but Harry didn’t protest. Jay’s eyes caught on the way Harry bit his lip lightly. The pirate’s lips quirked up when he noticed, and he leaned in closer, only pausing when there were but a couple inches between them. 

“Do ya want me to stop?” Harry said, his voice barely a whisper. 

“_ Hell _ no.”

When their lips met, Jay felt weightless, like a coil of tension he didn’t even know he’d been carrying was dissolved into nothing at the press of Harry’s lips. Suddenly, he didn’t know how he possibly could’ve gone a year without this. He needed Harry like he needed to breathe, and his head was spinning like someone deprived of oxygen taking their first breath of fresh air. 

The kiss was slow, and lazy, but an explosion of passion and need at the same time. Harry pushed himself up further and, without breaking the kiss, threw his leg over Jay’s hips, settling to lay on Jay’s chest with his elbows on either side of Jay’s head. Jay’s hand that wasn’t still in Harry’s hair came to wrap around Harry’s back, sliding down the dip of his spine, then back up again. 

Eventually they broke apart, breathing heavily.

“I missed ya,” Harry sighed, gazing down at Jay through half-lidded eyes.

“I missed you too,” Jay said, a smile tugging at his still-tingling lips.

“Thought ya might’ve moved on,” Harry said quietly, eyes trailing down so they didn’t meet Jay’s. “Found someone better.”

“Don’t say that,” Jay said, softly but firmly. “Don’t ever say that.”

“Well it’s true,” Harry muttered. “It’s not like the Isle. Ya have plenty of options now.”

Jay frowned. Harry still wasn’t looking at him, staring fixedly at where his hand on lay on Jay’s chest. Suddenly, Jay rolled them over, so Harry was lying back against the mattress with Jay lying between his legs, hovering over him. Harry’s eyes widened slightly, jumping to meet Jay’s in a surprised gaze.

“Did I ever tell you,” Jay started, now that he had Harry’s attention. “That you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met? But I don’t just mean physically. I mean here.” Jay touched Harry’s forehead, indicating his mind. “And I mean here.” He touched Harry’s chest, right above his heart. 

“There’s no one better, Harry. Not on either side of the bridge. I was never with you because it was _ convenient _ or because I didn’t have other options. It’s because I love you. I _ love _ you. There’s no one I’d rather have. There’s no one but you. Not to me.”

Harry swallowed audibly, his eyes the slightest bit shiny. “Quite the speech,” he said, clearly trying to jest, but his voice a tiny bit shaky. 

“It’s true,” Jay asserted. “Every word. I want to be with you again, if you still want me too.” Harry was quiet, looking unsure, and Jay’s heart clenched painfully. “If...if you don’t, uh, want to be together, it’s--it’s okay.”

“No,” Harry sighed. “That’s not it. I _ do _ want that, it’s just…” 

“Just what?”

The pirate chewed his lip, looking reluctant to say whatever he was feeling. However, Harry made no move to sit up or otherwise move away from the intimate position they were in. “I...it scares me, how much I love ya,” Harry said. “When ya left the Isle, I...fuck, I shut down. I couldn’t leave my bed or eat or do anythin’. I felt so fuckin’ empty. I can’t go through that again. I can’t.”

“You won’t,” Jay assured. “I won’t leave you.”

“Ya can’t know that,” Harry said. He sighed, not sounding annoyed or upset. Just...saddened. “There’s no way ya can know that for sure. Maybe ya won’t leave now, but what about in a year, or ten? Or maybe not even by your choice. Ya could get sick or hurt and die, leavin’ me alone.”

“Okay, you’re right,” Jay conceded. “We can’t know the future. Maybe that’ll happen. Or, maybe you’ll be the one to leave me. Or! Maybe everything will be amazing. Maybe we’ll be together, happy and healthy, till we’re ugly and grey. Not that either of us could ever be ugly, of course. We’ll die handsome.” Harry chuckled a bit at that, and Jay counted it as a win. Still, Harry didn’t reply. 

“So, are you just going to go the rest of your life never getting close to anyone, in case you get hurt?” Jay asked. It wasn’t an accusation; he was sure that might be tempting if you’d been hurt like Harry had. “That’s no way to live life, Harry.”

Harry shrugged. “Maybe not,” he conceded. “But I don’t know if I can just...go back, to being so..._ open _.” He said the last word with an air of dread, wrinkling his nose. Jay smiled a bit, despite himself. Suddenly, a solution came to his mind.

“Go on a date with me?” 

“Huh?” Harry blinked, clearly caught off guard. 

“Go on a date with me,” Jay repeated. “We don’t have to ‘go back’. We can’t, really. We’ve both changed quite a bit since then. So, let’s start over. Go on a date with me, and then maybe another, and maybe we’ll decide we want to be together for real.”

Harry was silent for a moment, biting his lip as he mulled this over in his mind. Jay tried not to focus on the little stab of arousal that caused him. He was honestly lucky his lower regions hadn’t stirred already; it’d been so long since he was this close to Harry, and the position they were in was bringing back some rather rousing memories.

“Okay,” Harry said, smiling, and Jay blinked, momentarily forgetting exactly what Harry was agreeing to. When he remembered, a huge grin split across his face, and he leaned down to kiss Harry lightly. 

“Oh, wait, if we’re starting over,” Jay said, starting to pull back. “Should I not do that?”

Harry grabbed Jay’s shoulders and pulled him back down, reconnecting their lips and throwing a leg behind Jay’s thighs. 

“Fuck that,” Harry said in between kisses, and Jay huffed a small laugh. “We’ve both waited long enough for this.”

“We’re still gonna go on that date though, right?”

“Duh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaand there it be, folks. 
> 
> Expect more from me in about 5-7 days (between Wednesday and Friday). Sorry I can't give a more exact date, but that's really the best I can do. 
> 
> My plan for the series moving forward: I have 3 more main works planned. One might not get written, but two definitely will. Anyways, after that, I think I'll be periodically posting a collection of one-shots (of varying length) of moments of the franchise I would have liked to write but couldn't really fit into the main series. If there's a prompt you'd like to see in that collection, leave it in the comments below!

**Author's Note:**

> So I've been thinking about the length of this series, and I think we're coming upon the close fairly soon. I have a couple more I want to do after this, but then I'm not sure. 
> 
> So if there's anything you'd like to see with this ship let me know in the comments and maybe I'll write something with it. 
> 
> Okay I'll see y'all on Friday for the next chapter! (I'm pretty sure there'll only be two but we'll see lol)


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